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Email marketing has been in for quite a long time. 从一开始，我们就花了很多时间去接触潜在客户，并最终将他们转化为客户. This led professionals to a decision of creating automation tools. Finally, it turned out that automation is a useful achievement and, with its help, professionals can do email marketing faster.
However, there are always myths that cover new things. 我们的专业目标是揭穿这些神话，证明自动化没有什么可怕的，值得你付出努力.
What is email marketing automation?
电子邮件营销自动化是在特殊工具的帮助下对电子邮件营销过程进行改进. They help professionals save time and set the marketing processes on autopilot. 电子邮件营销自动化意味着根据时间表和/或他们与先前收到的电子邮件的交互向人们发送电子邮件活动.
Why use email marketing automation tools
We can hardly find a person who doesn’t believe in the power of automation tools. The manufacture has made our lives more productive and easier; QA engineers use automation instruments to perform tests faster. Moreover, even Google is a bright example of automation. A few decades ago, you’d have gone to a library to find relevant information. 现在，只需键入几个单词，搜索引擎就会为您提供所需的一切.
To prevent possible questions, let me show you a few of the most important email marketing automation benefits.
- EMA tools save time. Just think of sending emails to every lead and client from Gmail. How many hours would it take? That’s impossible even to imagine that number. 然而，一个自动化工具可以让你立即向许多人发送触发的电子邮件序列.
- You’re becoming more productive. Surely, when you set email outreach on autopilot, your hands are free. Thus, you have more time on other tasks.
- You can easily improve the customer experience. An automation tool helps you personalize every email you send with variables. A highly-personalized email converts better.
- EMA instruments produce higher conversion rates. An email sent through automation tools provides a 180% higher conversion rate.
- You can measure the results. You don’t have to spend long hours searching for the people who replied to you, clicked the link, didn’t open your email, etc. 一个自动化工具让你有机会检查你的电子邮件活动表现的详细统计数据.
#1. Email marketing automation is expensive and for corporations only
When young email marketers think of automation tools, they recollect HubSpot or Act-On whose pricing plans are high-sky. Those platforms are great for enterprises and large companies. 当然，如果你是一家中小型企业，它们将不符合你的预算.
Let’s face it: we live in a quickly developing world, and new stuff appears daily. Thus, there are hundreds of automation tools on the web. And surely, there are cheap alternatives for SMB and entrepreneurs. 定价计划从每月9美元起，有些甚至提供无限制的免费试用.
#2. EMA tools take much time
Any work you do takes time. Of course, 你将不得不花几分钟来看看这个工具是如何工作的，并将一切设置为自动驾驶模式. But once you get it right, the most time you will spend crafting an appealing and converting email copy. The email sending will be performed by the email marketing automation platform.
#3. EMA platforms need special knowledge and skills
自动化本身变得更加复杂和多层次，但它的实现变得更加容易. For professionals, there are drag-n-drop editors, easy-to-use schedules and triggers, one-button launch, etc. All those things make email marketing and outreach fast and easy. To send your first email drip campaign you don’t need to learn much. Everything is user-friendly.
Have a look at an email drip campaign building process kindly provided by Snov.io.
#4. Automation destroys creativity
“Build an email sequence, hit the Launch button, and that’s all!”
No. Firstly, you have to craft a well-performing multi-level email campaign. Secondly, there’s still a place for imagination. 您需要创建数十个独特的电子邮件，并决定在这种或那种情况下发送哪些邮件.
Then, depending on the email campaign you are going to send, you may need to think of your content strategy. What type of content your leads may need? Do they prefer text or videos? Do they appreciate infographics? And so much more! Do not stop, and continue creating valuable email copies.
Finally, 你需要记住日程安排和时间安排:决定发送邮件的频率和跟进的次数.
#5. Automation is impersonal and robotic
The fact that your email is sent through a tool, not right from Gmail, doesn’t mean it loses its personality. It’s all the way around. 自动化工具允许您通过插入变量创建高度个性化的电子邮件.
Just think, you need to write an email copy with a few variables. 它们中的每一个都将被自动替换为有关您的线索的相应信息. You don’t have to fill in the email content manually. Isn’t that amazing? Have a look at this template and the email your recipients will get.
Does the email lose its personality and human touch? Hardly so.
除此之外，EMA工具允许您使您的方法更加个性化. You can use high-level segmentation, triggers, schedules, and send email campaigns according to the time zones. This lets you approach every client in a personalized way.
#6. Email marketing automation leads to the spam folder
Yes, it does. Your emails will land in the spam folder. 但要注意一点:如果你马上发送数百封非个性化的电子邮件副本. 当然，ESP会检测你每天发送的电子邮件数量以及它们之间的差异. If they are the same, you will soon turn into a spammer.
Yet, with a personalized approach and schedules in mind, your emails will be delivered to the recipients. Spam filters analyze what you send, and if each of your emails is unique and sent with delays, you don’t have to worry.
#7. EMA tools are all the same
No, no, no. 每一片雪花都是独一无二的，就像你的线索，就像电子邮件营销自动化工具. 除了价格和免费试用，每个平台都有其他平台所没有的东西. All the sets of tools vary from platform to platform.
Each of them offers various sets of features and surely at different prices. 其中一个具有拖放式构建器，并提供您创建带有触发器的多级活动，而另一些则没有这些功能. Besides an email sending automation tool, 他们中的一些人提供了一堆其他有用的工具，如电子邮件查找潜在客户，而其他人则没有. 一些网站免费提供详细的竞选统计数据，而另一些网站则收取费用. So it always depends on what you need.
#8. CRMs and email automation tools are the same things
Some consider email marketing automation tools and CRMs to be the same things. 然而，如果我们进入定义，你会很容易发现它们之间的区别.
专业人士使用电子邮件营销工具来构建、发送、测试和分析他们的电子邮件活动. 它们提供的关键功能是根据触发器和时间表自动发送电子邮件. Thus, 你的电子邮件总是准时的，你不必每次都和每个人做手工工作. 大多数情况下，EMA工具用于接触潜在客户，培训新客户并对他们进行培训.
CRM, customer relationship management, 是否有软件用于自动优化客户和销售代表之间的互动，从而提高销售额. It fits one-on-one communication with clients.
电子邮件自动化工具支持专业人员在销售漏斗的第一步. 而客户关系管理工具是用来与那些经历了所有销售漏斗步骤的人沟通的.
#9. Automation is only about sending emails
If you think that you pay once and get an opportunity to send emails only, let me congratulate you, that’s not the truth. As stated above, some automation platforms provide other tools for professionals. They are an email finder to collect potential clients, 电子邮件验证器，用于检查收集的地址是否有效，是否可以安全地发送电子邮件, a Gmail tracker for tracking your outgoing emails right in Gmail, and much more!
Also, email marketing automation is about nurturing and educating leads and clients, converting, growing retention, email campaign analytics, and optimization.
#10. An automated email is sent and forgotten
If you’ve to this point, then I’ve managed to raise interest. And you may have come to the conclusion that once you hit the Send button, you can forget about your sent campaign. You can, but in fact, will not. 一个精心设计的电子邮件自动化工具将提供详细信息，并通知你，如果一些收件人没有与你的电子邮件互动. This will allow you to start another campaign for them.
除此之外，作为一名专业人士，你对发送的广告活动的表现感兴趣. Thus, 你不仅要追踪活动表现，还要启动A/B测试，找出哪些电子邮件元素表现更好.
#11. It’s all over once a sale is closed
And finally, you can think of is that once a sale is closed, they can put the automation tools aside and forget about it. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not the truth. 如果一个人从你这里买过一次东西，并不意味着他会一次又一次地买. Your aim is to nurture clients, provide them with relevant offers, share useful information, and offer discounts to not lose a client. All these will be possible with the help of an automation tool.
Still doubt?
希望那些读完这篇文章的人，这11个迷思已经成为过去. Yet, if you still doubt, let me show you a few numbers.
The greatest benefit of email marketing automation is time-saving (30%), lead generation (22%), higher revenue (17%), and improved customer retention (11%).
在开始使用自动化的营销人员中，近70%的人注意到了目标定位的改善.
On average, the open rate for triggered emails is 46%.
So why ignore these supportive and efficient tools?
